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SILK 










Its Origin, Culture, and 
Manufacture 

1 I 

ILLUSTRATED FROM PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN 
AT THE CORTICELLI SILK MILLS, AND 
BY COLORED PLATES REPRODUCED 
FROM ORIGINAL JAPANESE PHO- 
TOGRAPHS ESPECIALLY 
COLORED BY 
HAND 

Price 50 Cent a 

(■..pyriKht.-d. UIU, l.y 

THE CORTICELLI SILK MILLS 

FLORENCE. MASSACHUSETTS 

.1// Uifihts ReaerrerJ 



/ 



63\^ 



IP V 




Branch of the Mulberry Tree — Showing Berries. 

1 I f 



MS0SG4 



Publishers' Note. 



A growing demand from teachers and others for a 
reliable and concise book of information on silk culture 
has prompted the preparation of this little pamphlet. 

No more gratifying reception was ever accorded a 
text-book than has been given this little work on the 
origin, culture, and manufacture of silk. Since the first 
edition published in 1895, the sale of the book has been 
truly remarkable. 

It is distinctly an educational work, embracing as it 
does the most interesting facts gathered from the ex- 
perience of years of scientific and practical study devoted 
to the rearing of this wonderful insect. We may be par- 
doned for thinking that perhaps no other concern is 
better qualified to undertake the publication of such a 
work, since for over seventy years the products of the 
Corticelli Silk Mills have been the recognized standard 
of the silk thread world. 

In presenting this revised and enlarged edition it is our 
desire to thank the thousands of teachers in the best and 
largest schools, academies, and colleges throughout the 
country for their many kind words of appreciation, and to 
assure them we are always ready to assist in securing the 
specimens necessary for a proper presentation to their 
pupils of this most interesting subject. See pages 45 
and 46. 

The fine half-tone engravings were made from photo- 
graphs of the Corticelli Silkworms taken from life. We 
believe them to be the most truthful reproductions of silk- 
worm life in existence. The entire contents of this book- 
let, including all the photographs, are protected by 
copyright, and must not be copied or reproduced. 

CORTICELLI SILK MILLS. 



The Discovery and Introduction of Silk, 



The history of silk starts with Hoang-Ti, the third 
Emperor of China, who charged his wife and queen, Si- 
Ling-Chi, to examine the silkworms and test the practica- 
bihty of using the thread from the cocoons. In her zeal 
she collected large numbeirs of the worms, fed them her- 
self, and discovered how to reel the silk and to make it 
into garments. This was about 1700 B, C, and for her 
discovery she was deified, so the Chinese records say, and 
ever since has been known as the ' ' Goddess of Silkworms. " 

The wild silkworms or allied species were found in 
Southern or Eastern Asia, inhabiting the jungles of India, 
Pegu, Siam, and Cochin China ; but the cocoons were used 
only for carding and spinning, very much as spun silk is 
now produced. Meanwhile the Chinese kept their method 
of obtaining the silk a profound secret for nearly two 
thousand years. They gave the silk to the Persians, who 
for one thousand years, without knowing how or from 
what it was made, carried it to the Western Nations. 

Aristotle was the first European to learn the true origin 
of the wrought silk brought to him from Persia on the 
return from that country of Alexander's victorious army. 
He described the silkworm as a "horned insect, passing 
through several transformations, which produced *bom- 
bykia,' " as he called the silk. However, for five hundred 
years after this time the common theory of the origin of 
silk, among the Greeks and Romans, was quite different, 
since they had confounded the production of silk with 
that of cotton. 

In Aristotle's time Pamphile and her associates in the 
Island of Cos (the modern Zea in the ^gean Sea) had 
imported raw silk from Persia, and unraveling it had 
woven a silken gauze, which from its transparency was 
called ' ' woven wind. ' ' Soon the Roman ladies followed 

7 



her example, substituting- for silk fine threads of linen or 
cotton for the weft or filling, and before long it became in 
great demand. The Roman emperors arrayed themselves 
in costly silken garments, and soon laws were passed re- 
stricting its use to the nobility and to women. The 
Emperor Aurelian is said to have refused his empress a 
silken robe on the ground of its great costliness. 

In the sixth century A. D., all the raw silk was still 
being imported from China, by way of Persia, when the 
Emperor Justinian, having engaged in war with Persia, 
found his supply of raw silk cut off and the manufacturers 
in great distress. No one, on pain of death, was allowed 
to export the silkworm eggs from China, but Justinian 
bribed two Nestorian monks to return to that country, and 
in 555 they came back bringing with them a quantity of 
silkworm eggs concealed in the hollow of their pilgrims' 
staves. The industry now spread rapidly over Greece and 
Syria, into Spain in 711, into Sicily and Naples in the 
twelfth century, reaching Italy in the sixteenth and 
France in the seventeenth century. 

For centuries the finest and richest silks were woven 
only for the church, the nobility, and the most wealthy 
knights ; Persia, China, and the countries to the far East 
producing magnificent hand embroidered specimens, the 
results of years of patient labor. 

Silk culture in America started in 1622, when James I. 
sent silkworm eggs, mulberry trees, and printed instruc- 
tions to Virginia, but the attempt was not successful. In 
1735 eight pounds of silk were exported from Georgia, 
and seven hundred pounds in 1758, and over ten thousand 
pounds (seventy-five thousand dollars' worth) in 1759. 

Connecticut began to rear silkworms in 1760, and for 
eighty-four years this state led all others in the amount of 
silk produced. Soon after 1769 Pennsylvania, New Jersey, 
New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts became inter- 
ested in the industry, but during the Revolution it was 
given up, and was not revived until 1826, when a most 
determined effort was made to place silk growing on a 



paying basis. For ten years all went well ; several states 
offered premiums and bounties, silk societies were formed, 
and new machinery was invented and put into operation. 
But soon a disturbing element was introduced ; a great ef- 
fort was made 
to supplant 
the white mul- 
berry (Moms 
alba), on the 
leaves of 
which the 
worms had 
been fed, by 
the so - called 
Chinese mul- 
berry, the Mo- 
7'us multicau- 
lis, on account 
of the supe- 
rior qualities 
claimed for it. 
A sudden in- 
fatuation seiz- 
ed the people, 
specu lation 
began, and 
prices advanc- 
ed far beyond 
their real 
value. 

Since 1830 

Florence, Mass., had been identified with the silk cul- 
ture movement, and the whole surrounding country soon 
caught the fever, and as the excitement increased acres 
of mulberry cuttings and trees were planted. Then in 
1839 came the crash. The bubble had burst, bringing 
ruin to thousands of persons, and mulberry twigs which 
had been worth nearly their weight in gold could not be 

9 




CoRTiCELLi Silkworms— Six and Ten Days Old. 



sold for ten cents a hundred. A severe winter killed most 
of the trees, giving the industry a final blow. 

The company at Florence gave up silk growing for a 
few years, but the manufacture of Corticelli Silk, started 

in 1838, was contin- 
ued, and from that 
day to this the 
products of the fa- 
mous Corticelli Silk 
Mills have always 
enjoyed an envia- 
ble but well earned 
reputation for su- 
periority. 

It is a fact not 
generally appre- 
ciated that silk is 
the strongest fiber 
known to science 
as well as the 
only fiber which is 
proof against decay 
caused by damp- 
ness. Cotton will 
soon mildew and 
rot away, while 
silk is in its ele- 
ment when wet, 
and may even be 
soaked in water 
without impairing 
its strength. In 
these days of keen competition many imitations of silk 
are sold under various fancy and deceptive names, but no 
substitute invented by man can replace the wonderful 
work of nature, and the Corticelli Silkworm. 




Gathering Mulberry Lea\ i:s. 



/ 



10 



more slender, and finally unite within the spinneret, a small 
double orifice below the mouth, from which the silk issues 
in a glutinous state and apparently in a single thread. 




CoRTicELLi Cocoons from which the Moths have 
Emerged. 

The gummy liquid which combines the two strands hard- 
ens immediately on exposure to the air. 

The worm works incessantly, forcing the silk out by 
the contraction of its body. The thin, gauze-like network 
which soon surrounds it gradually thickens, until, twenty- 
four hours after beginning to spin, the worm is nearly 
hidden from view. However, the cocoon is not completed 
for about three days. 

The cocoon is tough, strong, and compact, composed of 
a firm, continuous thread, which is, however, not wound 

in concen- 
tric circles, 
but irregu- 
larly i n 
short figure 
eight loops, 
first in one 
place and 
then in an- 
other. The 
motion o f 
the worm's 
Moths Emerging from Corticelli Cocoons. head when 

21 





Side View of 
Chrysalis. 




Bottom View of 
Chrysalis. 



starting the cocoon is very rapid, and 
nine to twelve inches of silk flow from 
the spinneret in a minute, but later the 
average would be about half this amount 
per minute. ' ^ 

The silk secretion, on account of its 
transparency, is sometimes used for 
snells, the tough, sinew-like cords by 
which fishhooks are attached to longer 
lines, and in foreign countries large num- 
bers of worms are annually used for this purpose. When 
the worm is ready to spin, after being steeped in strong 
chemicals, the silk glands are taken from its body, and 
are dexterously drawn out to the desired length. One gland 

is usually sufficient for two and 
sometimes for three fishhooks. 

The color of the worm's pro- 
legs before spinning indicates 
the color the cocoon will be. This 
1H|^H l^Ki^9H ^^^^^^ ^^ different species, and 
^ ^^^B ^^»t !^H jYiay be a silvery white, cream, 
yellow, lemon, or green. 

When the worm has finished 
spinning, it is one and a quarter 
inches long. Two days later, by 
a final molt, its dried-up skin 
breaks at the nose and is 
crowded back off the body, 
revealing the chrysalis, an 
oval cone one inch in length. 
It is a light yellow in color, 
and immediately after molting 
is soft to the touch. The ten 
prolegs of the worm have 
disappeared, the four wings 
of the future moth are folded 
over the breast, together with 
the six legs and two feelers, 

22 




Two Silk Glands taken 

FROM One Corticelli 

Silkworm. 




Corticelli Silk Snells. 




or antennas. It soon turns .,-,^^> .#-2^1- 

brown, and the skin hardens ^ "^a:. V' '^*^^x^ 

into a tough shell. Nature 
provides the cocoon to pro- 
tect the worm from the ele- 
ments while it is being Male Corticelli Moth. 
transformed into a chrys- <^=-^?*5— ^^^a* 

alls, and thence into the v-'ii • 

moth. ,; f'- V^ 

With no jaws, and con- "' --- _,r 

fined within the narrow 
space of the cocoon, the 
moth has some difficulty 

in escaping. After two or ^^^^^^ cor^elli Moth. 
three weeks the shell of 
the chrysalis bursts, and the moth ejects against the end 
of the cocoon a strongly alkaline liquid which moistens 
and dissolves the hard, gummy lining. Pushing aside 
some of the silken threads and breaking others, with 
crimped and damp wings the moth emerges ; and the exit 
once effected, the wings soon expand and dry. 

The escape of the moth, however, breaks so many 
threads that the cocoons are ruined for reeling, and con- 
sequently, when ten days old, all those not intended for 
seed are placed in a steam heater to stifle the chrysalis, 
and the silk may then be reeled at any future time. 

^^—-. — _ The moths are cream white 

x' ^ in color. They have no mouths, 

"^ ' ' but do have eyes, which is just 

^ ,* .*•' the reverse of the case of the 

/ • », * * „ . . worm. From the time it be- 

• '•*', .,»«*•• ., , • gins to spin until the moth 

• * * • *, ••'s' V. '•' -'* ' clies, the insect takes no nour- 

»•* •*. • « J ";*•■..*•' ishment. The six forward 

**•*,'*••'*,: legs of the worm become the 

% * ,*'' legs of the moth. Soon after 

mating the eggs are laid. 

Eggs op the Silkworm Moth. The male has broader feel- 



ers than the female, is smaller in size, and quite active. 
The female lays half her eggs, rests a few hours, and then 
lays the remainder. Her two or three days' life is spent 
within a space occupying less than six inches in diameter. 

One moth lays from three to four hundred eggs, depos- 
iting them over an even surface. In some species a 
gummy liquid sticks the eggs to the object upon which 
they are laid. In the large cocoon varieties there are full 
thirty thousand eggs in a single ounce avoirdupois. It 
takes from twenty-five hundred to three thousand cocoons 




A Bale of Raw Silk and the "Books" it Contains. 

to make a pound of reeled silk. Do you wonder that, 
centuries ago, silk was valued at its weight in gold ? 

Growers of silk in the United States, by working early 
and late every day during the season, which lasts from six 
to eight weeks, could scarcely average fifteen cents for a 
day's labor of ten hours. Silk, once regarded as a luxury, 
is now considered a necessity, and no one concern has done 
more to make this possible than the Corticelli Silk Mills. 
In fact, Corticelli Silk holds the world's record for superi- 
ority, having won 40 Highest Awards at Expositions held 
in the United States and abroad. 

25 



Reeling the Silk from the Cocoons, 



Reeling the silk from the cocoons is not often done in 
the United States, as most of the raw material which is 
imported comes reeled all ready for the manufacturer. 

The cocoons are first assorted, those of the same color 
being placed by themselves, and those of fine and coarse 
texture likewise. The outside loose silk is then removed, 
as this cannot be reeled, after which .the cocoons are 
plunged into warm water to soften the "gum" which 
sticks the threads together. The operator brushes the 
cocoons with a small broom, to the straws of which their 
fibers become attached, and then carefully unwinds the 
loose silk until each cocoon shows but one thread. These 
three operations are called "soaking," "brushing," and 
" cleansing." 

Into one or two compartments in a basin of warm water 
below the reel are placed four or more cocoons, according 
to the size of the thread desired. The threads from the 
cocoons in each compartment are gathered together and, 
after passing through two separate perforated agates a 
few inches above the surface of the water, are brought 
together and twisted around each other several times, then 
separated and passed upward over the traverse guide-eyes 
to the reel. See Colored Plate "Reeling the Silk from 
Corticelli Cocoons " by foot power. The traverse moves to 
and fro horizontally, distributing the thread in a broad 
band over the surface of the reel. The rapid crossing of 
the thread from side to side of the skein in reeling facili- 
tates handling and unwinding without tangling, the nat- 
ural gum of the silk sticking the threads to each other on 
the arms of the reel, thus securing the traverse. Silk 
reeled by hand or foot power is known as "Re-reel" silk, 
while silk reeled by power machinery is called " Filature." 

The fiber of the cocoon is somewhat finer at the begin- 
ning, thickens at the point of forming the more compact 

27 



part, and then very gradually diminishes in diameter until 
it becomes so fine as to be incapable of standing the strain 
of reeling. This is because the silk from one of the worm's 
two glands is exhausted, leaving but one half the original 
fiber. 

When one of the threads breaks or the end of one cocoon 
is reached, the reeler takes a fresh one, and with thumb 




Drying Corticelli Raw Silk after Soaking it in Water to 
Soften the Natural Gum. 

and forefinger as shown by the Colored Plate dexterously 
twists its end around the running thread, of which from 
that moment it becomes a constituent part. 

Imported raw silk comes in skeins of from one to sev- 
eral ounces, packed into bundles called "books," weigh- 
ing from five to ten pounds. In China and Japan the books 
are usually sold in bales varying from one hundred to one 
hundred and sixty pounds. 

29 



How Silk is Manufactured. 



The Corticelli raw silk is first assorted, according to the 
size of the fiber, as fine, medium, and coarse. The skeins 
are put into canvas bags and then soaked over night in 
warm soapsuds. This is necessary to soften the natural 
gum in the silk, which had stuck the threads together on 




Winding Corticelli Raw Silk. 

the arms of the reel. Following the soaking, the skeins 
are straightened out and hung across poles in a steam- 
heated room, as shown in the accompanying photograph. 
When the skeins are dry, they are ready for the first 
process of manufacturing. The room we now step into is 
filled with "winding frames," each containing two long 

31 



rows of ' ' swifts, ' ' from which the silk is wound on to 
bobbins. The bobbins are large spools about three inches 
long. The bobbins filled with silk, as wound from the 
skeins, are next placed on pins of the "doubling frames"; 
the thread from several bobbins, according to the size of 
the silk desired, is passed upward through drop wires on 
to another bobbin. Should one of the threads break, the 




Combining Several Single Strands of Raw Silk Prepara- 
tory TO Spinning. This Process is Called "Doubling." 

"drop wire" falls, which action stops the bobbin. By 
this ingenious device absolute uniformity in the size of 
Corticelli silk is secured. The "doubling frame" is 
shown in one of the photographs, and another photograph 
shows an enlarged view of this frame, giving an idea of 
the four sections, on each of which are running nine 
bobbins. 

The bobbins taken from the "doubling frame" are 
next placed on a "spinner." Driven by an endless belt, 
at the rate of over six thousand turns a minute, the bobbins 
revolve, the silk from them being drawn upward on to 
another bobbin. This spins the several strands brought 
together by the "doubling process" into one thread, the 

32 



number of turns depending on the kind of Corticelli silk— 
Filo silk being spun quite slack, and Machine Twist just 
the reverse. 

A transferring 
machine combines 
two or three of these 
strands ; two for 
sewing silk and 
three for machine 
twist ; and the bob- 
bin next goes on to 
the ' ' twisting ma- 
chine "—a machine 
that is similar to a 
"spinner," but the 
silk is twisted in the 
opposite direction 
from the spinning. 
To stand before 
these machines and 
watch how rapidly 
and how accurately 
they do the work 
assigned them is a 
revelation. No one 
realizes how nicely 
the parts are ad- 
justed. If but one 
tiny strand breaks 
that part of the ma- 
chinery is stopped 
by an automatic de- 
vice which works 
instantaneously and 

the operator then repairs the broken fiber, 
only perfect silk 'can be made. You see, 
simply another name for perfection. 

After twisting, the silk is stretched by an 

33 




Enlarged View of "Doubling" Frame 
Showing Drop Wire Device That 
Insures the Perfectly Even Size 
OF all Corticelli Silk. 



As a result 
Corticelli is 



ingenious 




machine called a "water- 
stretcher." This smoothes 
and consolidates the constit- 
uent fibers, giving an even- 
ness to Corticelli silk not to 
be obtained by any other 
known process. The bob- 
bins are placed in water and 
the silk wound on to the 
lower of the two copper rolls. 
From the lower roll it passes 
upward to the upper roll, 
which turns faster than the 
Spinning ^^^er one, thereby stretch- 
CoRTicELLi ing the silk. From the up- 
SiLK. per roll it passes again on 
to a bobbin, only to be again 
reeled off into hanks when it is ready for the dye house. 
f The dyeing process is a very important one, 

and upon its success depends the permanency of 
the various colors. The Corticelli dye house is 
a model, and the results that come from it are 
the achievement of years of scientific investi- 
gation and experi- 
menting. Vast 
tubs, tanks, and 
kettles surround 
you on every side, 
and the hissing 
steam seems to 
spring from all 
quarters. The 
"gum" of the silk 
is first boiled out 
by immersion in 
strong soapsuds 
for about four 
hours. The at- 




TwiSTiNG Corticelli Silk. 



35 



tendants, standing in heavy "clogs" (big shoes with 
wooden soles two inches thick), turn the silk on the sticks 
at intervals until the gum is removed. After the silk is 
dyed it is put into a "steam finisher," a device looking 
like a long, narrow box with a cover opening on the side, 
set upright on top of an iron cylinder. The hanks of silk 
are placed upon two pins in the steam chest, the cover 
fastened, and the live steam rushes in around the silk. 




CoRTiCELLi Water Stkkic;ikk. 

This brightens the silk, giving it the lustrous, glossy 
appearance noticeable in all Corticelli goods. The silk 
comes from this machine quite stiff, and the hanks are 
next placed on the "stringer," which twists the hank 
first in one direction and then in the other, as one would 
ring out water. There is no water in the silk, however, 
but this action makes the silk smooth and soft.' Many of 
the machines used by this company are of their own inven- 
tion, patented and controlled by them, which, together 
with the experience of over seventy-three years in silk 

36 



manufacturing, enables them to produce silk goods of 
unequaled quality and of exceptional luster and brilliancy. 
From the large skeins the silk is again wound on to 
bobbins, and then spooled, balled, coned, braided, or 
skeined, according to the kind of silk and the use for 
which it is intended. Rows of girls, seated at the rapidly 
revolving spindles of the spooling machines, 
change the big bobbins to 100-yard spools of 




Reeling Corticelh Silk into Skeins to Send to the 
Dye House. 

Corticelli Spool Silk. The accompanying illustration 
shows a young lady spooling ounce spools of white Corti- 
celli Machine Twist. The balling machine is equally inter- 
esting, as one watches sixteen empty wooden spools trans- 
formed as if by magic, in less than three minutes, into 
sixteen symmetrical balls of Corticelli Crochet Silk. 

Then come the labeling and the boxing, and the goods 
are taken to the stock room, where huge shelves, arranged 
in tiers, are filled high with silk of every description, 
from the very finest 000 to the coarsest size, and from 
the tiny spools of Corticelli Buttonhole Twist to the big 
ounce spools of Corticelli Machine Twist. From the stock 

37 



room are shipped each day, to the eight wholesale city 
salesrooms of this company, case after case, packed snugly 
with neat boxes all filled with spools or skeins of silk, 
which find their way into the stores of nearly every mer- 
chant in the land. 

The various uses made of silk are truly wonderful. 
Some of the ones not generally known are here given. 
The electrician uses it for insulating wires for the incan- 
descent lamps, for filaments within the same, carbonizing 
it for this purpose ; the surgeon to tie arteries and sew 
together cuts in the flesh, and to cover silk cloth with 
gum-tragacanth for adhesive and non-poisonous plasters 
for wounds and abrasions ; the dentist 
to clean between the teeth and tie the 
pellicle in filling ; the book maker to 
tie his little fancy booklets and cards ; 

surveyor to 

e the 

the 

d the 

to 

stiffen his rod by 




Stringing Corticelli Silk. 

39 




-m'''^^f- 





o 
W 

H 

Q 
a 

X 






(£^ 



winding or to snell the hook with which he deceives the 
wary fish. 

The variety of goods made at the Corticelli Silk Mills is 
a surprise to almost every one. Corticelli spool silk is of 
course a familiar object in every household, as few indeed 
are the workbaskets that do not contain one or more of 
these 100-yard spools. Besides 
this, there is Corticelli machine 
twist, sewing silk, crochet silk, 
knitting silk, lace silk, filo silk, 
Persian floss, Roman floss, rope 
silk, etching silk, twisted em- 
broidery silk, buttonhole twist, 
dental floss, surgeons' silk, 
darning silk, and purse twist. 

Perhaps one of the most 
enormous uses to which the 
product of the Corticelli Mills is 
put, is that of embroidery and 
art needlework. It is a truly 
feminine accomplishment, some- 
times even excelling an artist's 
brush in the exquisite work- 
manship displayed. Corticelli 
embroidery silk ranks first in 
popular favor for this work, not 
only on account of its smooth- 
ness and luster, but for its abso- 
lutely fast color. The perfec- 
tion of the multitudinous colors 
and almost indefinable grada- 
tions of hue enables the embroiderer to shade the petals 
so as to closely imitate the real bloom of the flowers. 

To meet a growing demand from teachers, students, 
schools, and museums interested in instructing children 
how silk is made, this company has prepared a "Silk Cul- 
ture Cabinet." This is a wonderfully interesting case, 
substantially made and nicely finished, and shows every 

41 




Steam Finisher. 



step in the culture of this wonderful insect. It contains 
small bottles, hermetically sealed, with the eggs of the 
moth, and the silkworms in different stages of develop- 
ment, from a few days old to the full grown worm ; also 
the chrysalis, the moth, cocoons, and specimens of reeled 
and manufactured silk. These cabinets sell for two and a 




Spooling Corticelli Machine Twist. 

half dollars apiece, and so great is the demand for them 
from institutions and schools all over the country, that the 
company can hardly supply them fast enough. The value 
of the cabinet is apparent at once to any one interested 
in education, and many of the largest and best schools in 
the country have already secured one of them to place in 
their museums. To accompany the cabinet is a Teachers' 
Silk Culture Chart, which is intended to hang on the wall 
of the schoolroom. This sells for twenty cents. See 
page 47. Together they make it possible for any teacher to 
give an object lesson of exceeding interest to all children. 

43 



The luster of a silk gown is pleasing to the eye, and 
its fascinating rustle gives warning to the blind of the 
approach of a lady; but do the ladies thus charmingly 
attired realize that thousands of lowly silkworms have 
given up their home tents (cocoons), and necessarily their 
lives, to supply material for even one such gown ? These 
cocoons, so skillfully constructed by eyeless worms, are 
the tents in which they go through Nature's wonderful 



tkM 



1 (nl.llll : 1 


vljsgiiiu 









Teachers' Silk Culture Cabinet. 

evolutions, and from which they emerge butterflies or 
moths— with eyes, but no mouths— to live only a day or 
two for purposes of reproduction. 

The quantity of raw silk used each year by the Corticelli 
Mills can scarcely be comprehended. Figures almost lose 
their meaning. Briefly and approximately stated, three 
thousand cocoons will yield one pound of silk fiber about 
seven hundred and fifty miles in length ; and as one thou- 
sand pounds are used daily by the Corticelli Silk Mills 
in the manufacture of Corticelli silk thread, it follows that 
the product of three million cocoons is required, yielding 
an aggregate length of seven hundred and fifty thousand 
miles of cocoon fiber, to operate the mills one day. About 
one hundred cocoon fibers are required to make medium 
thickness sewing silk, hence the daily product of Corticelli 
Silk Mills is about seven thousand five hundred miles of 
finished silk thread— enough to girdle the world in three 
and one-third days. 

44 



Teachers' Silk Culture Cabinet, 

The engraving on opposite page gives an accurate idea 
of the Corticelli Silk Culture Cabinet originated and intro- 
duced by us. It is made of cherry, handsomely finished and 
varnished, w^ith glass top sealed to prevent dust getting 
inside. The cabinet measures 5 X 12 inches and contains 
the follow^ing handsomely mounted specimens : — 

1 Eggs of the Silkworm Moth. {Sericaria mori.) 

2 Silkv^orm 10 days old. Preserved in Alcohol. 

3 Silkworm 20 days old. Preserved in Alcohol. 

4 Silkworm 30 days old. Preserved in Alcohol. 

5 Chrysalis. Preserved in Alcohol. 

6 Cocoon, pierced by escaping moth. 

7 Moth, mounted by latest improved process. 

8 Cocoon as spun by Silkworm. 

9 Cocoon, floss removed, ready for reeling. 

10 Skein of Raw Silk ready to manufacture. 

11 Spool of Corticelli Spool Silk, size A. 

The cabinet is of convenient size to be examined by 
members of the class, and by its use each step in the culture 
of silk can be easily explained. Suffice it to say that we 
have sold hundreds of these cabinets to many of the best 
schools, academies, and colleges of this country and in 
every case they have given entire satisfaction. 

UrP^ Caution : Several imitations of this cabinet, which 
contain cheap specimens of no scientific value, are offered 
for sale by unscrupulous dealers. Remember we are the 
originators and are the only firm making the genuine 
"Teachers' Silk Culture Cabinet." We will consider it a 
favor if our friends will report to us the names of any 
agent or dealer offering for sale one of our Teachers' Cabi- 
nets under a different name. Such infringements will be 
prosecuted promptly. 

The price of the Cabinet is $2.50, express charges to be 
paid by the purchaser. 

Corticelli Silk Mills, Florence, Mass. 

45 



Box of Two Corticelli Cocoons. 

For those who want samples in addition to the Teach- 
ers' Silk Culture Cabinet and Silk Culture Chart we furnish 
two cocoons spun by genuine Corticelli Silkworms, packed 
in a neat little box. These boxes make very attractive 




souvenirs and many scholars are only too glad to buy these 
to take home. Teachers will please notice that we make a 
special offer on orders for large lots. Each box contains 
two cocoons. Price, by mail, postpaid, 1 box, 5 cents ; 10 
boxes, 40 cents ; 25 boxes, 75 cents. 

We invite correspondence with teachers desiring speci- 
mens for schoolroom use. All questions will be cheerfully 
answered if a 2-cent stamp is inclosed for reply. We 
are anxious to help every school to obtain what it needs. 

Corticelli Silk Mills, Florence, Mass. 



46 



Teachers* Silk Culture Chart, 

This chart has over thirty engravings showing the 
different steps in the culture and manufacture of silk. 
Printed on heavy coated cardboard v^ith reinforced top 




and bottom and cord for hanging to schoolroom wall. 
Price, 20 cents, carefully packed in pasteboard tube for 
mailing, or will be sent by express, charges to be paid by 
purchaser, for 12 cents. Address 

CoRTiCELLi Silk Mills, Florence, Mass. 



47 



TRADE 




SPOOIy SII^K 



Many attempts have been made to find a substitute for silk, espe- 
cially for sewing purposes. Cotton thread, in imitation of silk, is sold 
under various names, but vegetable fiber becomes worthless if mildew 
from dampness gets in its work, whereas silk is in its element when 
wet, as the following incident proves : In 1874 a silk mill was totally 
destroyed by the breaking of the reservoir dam, and sewing silk was 
scattered for miles below, and has been plowed up by farmers fre- 
quently since and found to have its original strength. A tangled 
mass, weighing several pounds, was found in 1901, having been twenty- 
seven years in the mud at the bottom of the mill pond. After wash- 
ing and drying, the color (black) was good, its luster fair, and 
its strength unimpaired. Manufacturers, tailors, dressmakers, and 
women everywhere should profit by this hint. In fact it is " penny 
wise and pound foolish " to use poor material in a needle for any pur- 
pose, and the growing popularity of Corticelli Silk indicates increasing 
wisdom of the people on this subject. Use silk, not cotton, for all 
your sewing. 

u CORTICELLI SILK MILLS ij 



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